Houston foster



(No Model.)

W. H. POSTER. CAR COUPLING.

No. 480,459. Patented Aug. 9, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WASHINGTON HOUSTON FOSTER, OF CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HAMPTON C. HOWELL AND WILLIAM H. BRAFFORD, OF

SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,459, dated August 9, 1892.

Application filed April 5, 1892- $eria1No. 427,829. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WASHINGTON HOUSTON FOSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Concord, in the county of Cabarrus and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car= Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to that class of automatic carcouplers in which. two pivoted hooks engage one another and are held in r 5 connection by the pressure of springs.

My invention consists in coupling by a lateral and uncoupling by a vertical motion, as hereinafter described.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view showing the hooks coupled; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view, and Fig. 3 a front elevation.

In the drawings, A represents the drawhead, which is made with the vertical slot a open at top, bottom, and front end.

B is the coupling-hook, whose rear end abuts against the rear wall of the draw-head between two vertical guides 19 b, which are made fast vertically in the corners of the slot. The hook B has preferably a bearing-piece b and a cross-bar placed vertically, between .which it is held in a straight line. The bar b has pins 19 b on its back, movable in guides b b on the draw-head.

In coupling the hook B presses back the 3 5 spring-bar b and when the two hooks of opposite draw-heads have passed each other the spring-bars force them to engage and keep them securely coupled.

The hook B is pivoted near the rear upper corner upon a horizontal cross-rod C, so that it may be turned up vertically to uncouple, while its rear end has play enough on the rod 0 and between the guides 19 b to allow the hook B a lateral motion, which is necessary in order to couple.

On the bottom of the hook B is longitudinally arranged the keeper D,in which moves the roller E on a crank f of the hand-crank shaft F, the latter being j ournaled in bearings a a on the draw-head. This shaft F may be operated from the car or from one side thereof without any danger whatever to the operator. It will thus be seen that my coupling is strong, durable, and without liability to get out of order, while it is attended with no danger to life or limb and is withal not expensive.

Having thus described all that is necessary to a full understanding of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

The coupler-hook provided with a longitudinally-arranged keeper on its bottom, in combination with a hand-crank shaft arranged in bearings on and under the drawhead, whereby the uncoupling may be done in the manner set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

his WASHINGTON IIOUS'1ON. FOSTER.

mark

Witnesses:

H. S. PURGIER, L. M. MORRISON. 

